Online shopping has transformed retail in many areas. But apparel is one area where consumers have not fully adopted the online shopping model. Clothing returns are high, and it is believed that many customers abandon online clothing purchases prior to completing them. As a result, some online retailers have generous return policies for clothing that does not fit in order to make the customer more comfortable with purchasing clothing online.
Compounding this problem is the fact that there is no size standardization in the apparel industry. For example, a size “8” from one clothing manufacturer is not necessarily the same as a size “8” from another manufacturer, making it difficult for a consumer to know whether a garment purchased online will fit. Also, a pant size reported by the manufacturer to be 32 inches in the waist and 34 inches in the inseam does not provide information about how much room the pants have in the thigh, for example.